British No.2 Aljaz Bedene has been informed that his appeal to the International Tennis Federation (ITF) regarding his eligibility to play for the British Davis Cup team has been deferred.
The Slovenian-born Brit was expecting to be told if he would be allowed to play for Great Britain as their Davis Cup final against Belgium begins in 10 days. Earlier this year the ITF changed the rules regarding the Davis Cup, which states that a player who has played for one country can’t play for another. Bedene has argued that when he submitted his application, it was prior to the rule being implemented.
Bedene has played for Slovenia in 2009, 2010 and 2011, playing Fabio Fognini in 2010. Despite representing for Slovenia he has been living in the UK since 2008 and formalized his British Citizenship on March 26th this year. Currently he lives with his fiancee Kimalia, who is a Slovenian pop star.
The decision to postpone the case until March next year has triggered a series of criticism. Bedene travelled to the Czech Republic, where he was informed of the outcome. The British Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) has released a statement expressing their displeasure with the decision as they backed their second highest ranked player.
The Lawn Tennis Association is disappointed with the ITF’s late decision today in Prague to postpone the hearing of our appeal for Aljaz Bedene to represent Great Britain in the Davis Cup by BNP Paribas
Despite the statement from the LTA requesting for the case to be heard before the first round of the Davis Cup. It is being reported that the hearing will not take place until March 20th, two weeks after the first round.
We feel it is important to say that we have complied with the process set forth to us and are working hard to achieve a positive outcome.
It is in everyone’s best interests given how long this process has been ongoing, that a fair hearing does place as soon as possible, ideally before the first round of the Davis Cup in March 2016. That has to be the number one priority going forward. We continue to fully support Aljaz in his bid for a successful appeal.
Following the decision, Bedene posted his opinion on his Twitter account as he thanked people for their support.
Disappointed that the hearing with the ITF was postponed, I will keep my head held high.
— Aljaz Bedene (@AljazBedene) November 17, 2015
Hopefully more positive news are coming in March. Thank you everyone in British tennis for your help.
— Aljaz Bedene (@AljazBedene) November 17, 2015
British No.1 Andy Murray has also been critical of the management of Bedene’s case. Following his win against David Ferrer at the ATP Finals yesterday, Murray said in his press conference that the appeal has ‘taken such a long time’.
It is currently unclear if the ITF will change the date of the hearing after having a request from the LTA.
